Flightless Bird
by UniversalIndicator
Summary: It took a long time... But I finally found you.
1. Chapter 1: A Beginning

"Sire why can't I go outside?" the sparkling, who was less than a vorn old, churred despite knowing the answer. His spark still surged with hope that today… yes today he would be able to see the sky again. Feel the wind under his plating...

"It's too dangerous for you brightspark." his carriers voice was sharp with static as he came into the room. "As we have iterated …" Cobra winced as his carriers voice crackled through his sensitive audials.

"Lightburn, enough." His Sires voice was deep enough to reverberate his light plating and it was laced with protective protocols that made him feel safe most days… on others, like today, slightly stifled.

His carrier sniffed and continued tidying their abode.

They were all yearning for the sky. Unfortunately for Lightburn and Tripwires offspring, despite pure Vosian heritage, he had been born without wing joints and so would never be able to fly on his own accord. This was a fact that had distressed them both, especially since their crippled sparkling still had the protocols that _demanded_ that he fly. Prone to infection, medics had warned the Vosians against exposing him to the radiation rife within Cybertronian air currents and until his plating hardened, they too were grounded.

"Cobra we must wait for you to be stronger. Plus we have a great deal to do today." Tripwire rumbled as he scooped his sparkling up. "There is energon to refine which you must simply help me with..."

Cobra whined softly but relented, snuggling into his Sires warm plating and allowing himself to be distracted.

* * *

It was only as he grew older that Cobra realised that there was something wrong with him. His creators smothered him with love, affection and over protectiveness. A fact that wasn't unusual for Vosian sparklings, quite normal actually if the vid-files were to be believed.

No what was unusual was his parents distress after watching a sparkling sky game vid-file when he had said without thinking "I wish I could play that game." Without meaning to he set off a series of arguments that he didn't understand which left Lightburn with luminescent tears trailing down his pointed cheeks and Tripwire holding him far too tightly to be completely comfortable.

When his plating eventually hardened and his creators took him outside for the first time his quiet thoughts turned reality.

Everybot stared at them.

From all directions, Vosian mechs and femmes paused in their daily business, hovering obscenely about the small unit, to blink at them long past the point of social nicety.

A femme called out to Lightburn but when his carrier turned so that he could reply, tucked into his arms as he was, he was able to see how the bright smile on her faceplates immediately slid off into a blank expression.

Her optics latched onto his. There was no warmth inside them.

"Sire why are they staring?" He asked Tripwire, unnerved, clicking slightly in distress.

Tripwires engines rumbled in an attempt to soothe and hurried his footpedes, Lightburn struggling to keep up with them.

"It is because they do not understand little one." He said. "It has nothing to do with you."

He was too young to realise that it was the first time that his creator had lied to him. But he felt his flight protocols activate as he stared back at the Vosian frames around him. "I can't wait till I fly like them!" he said excitedly, trying to re-engage his creators to talk to him. When the statement brooked only silence, he settled back down again.

* * *

So it's been several years since I uploaded anything but this idea wouldn't leave me alone. Feedback would be appreciated so long as it's constructive. Chapters may come in bursts with long breaks in between but I hope you enjoyed it :D


	2. Chapter 2: The Carers

Eventually Cobra went to the Carers for the first time so that Lightburn and Tripwire could return to their occupations in the governmental sect.

He hadn't been too young to notice how the Carers kept all but the truly curious sparklings away from him. But it didn't stop him from trying.

"Can I come play with you?" Cobra chittered shyly to a blue sparkling who was playing flight tag with a yellow femme Carer. The sparkling chirped back and made to descend down to him, only to be caught by the scruff bar by the Carer. "Not now 'Dancer, it's time for recharge. Go play with the thinking blocks Cobra." she added as she walked away.

* * *

On another day Cobra had tried jumping into the sky from the top of the play sphere, his optics fixed on the fluttering sparklings above him. The ground was really hard and he tried not to cry but he did and it burned his cheekplates until someone wiped it away. He tried again, swinging hard on the swings till he felt the air rushing beneath his plating as if he were flying at the speed he experienced in his dream. He pushed off with his pedes at the height of the swing and managed to not-quite miss the edge of the slide which left a light dent in his helm.

Cobra didn't quite understand how he was naughty but he had received quite a lecture from one of the older model Carers, a green femme by the name of Softstrider until he stopped trying to jump off the playground, mostly because he was not longer allowed on it. Though he hadn't exactly been told this so much as shown.

* * *

One day, Tripwire had been called into occupation on one of his designated days off and Cobra had been at the Carers on an unusual day. It hadn't been too bad, there were different sparklings there than he usually saw who didn't mind playing ground games sometimes and liked to read Vid-Files like Cobra did. He was just about to go rejoin the others after a really good one ended when he was grabbed by the scruff-bar.

"Now Cobra… the sun is too hot today, why don't you go back inside while we fetch the others?" One Carer said and he nodded as he followed her instructions only to wait two decaorns before the other sparklings had come inside, licking energon treats off their fingers and churring to each other excitedly about their adventures outside, plating warm as they passed by the spot he had by then chosen to hide in.

The Carers looked for him at first, calling for him with promises of energon treats too when he refused to come out. But they didn't find his hiding place.

"Oh leave him then, he'll come out eventually." Softstrider said, voice drifting away from his hiding spot. "Swiftstrike… put that down!"

When he heard the familiar tread of his Sires pedes, careful as he stepped around the other vulnerable frames, his tanks were already churning without day rations.

"Where is Cobra?" Tripwire rumbled at the Carers.

"He was off playing outside." The same Carer that had told him to go inside said and his optics widened at the lie.

He clicked softly in distress as he felt, rather than saw, his Sires presence approach his spot, obviously intending to go in the direction the femme suggested. What if he walked passed him like all the others?

"Sire?" He croaked out, the sound of his own voice shocked him. The single glyph was full of static and fresh energon bubbled from his optics, stinging the already sensitive plating.

Tripwires pedesteps paused and a large hand suddenly came underneath the table, searching blindly for him. Cobra allowed himself to be cradled into a large hand before he was pulled out.

Tripwire growled when he looked at him, field bursting with sudden fury and the sparkling was curled into his sires chestplates as the mech towered over the Carers, hissing in a tongue that might've been glyphs but moved too rapidly for him to follow. He didn't really care though.

He was safe.

* * *

I'm not entirely happy with this and I may revist. I am enjoying the 'world building' side of this fic and any constructive suggestions or comments would be welcome.


	3. Chapter 3: Mutant

He never went back to those Carers and he spent most of the time with his Sire from that point onwards, the large mech was able to work from home and when he wasn't able to Cobra was allowed to come along, though he was stuck in the sparkling hold and couldn't come out till they were home again.

At first he didn't mind as it hid him from the stares that always followed him whenever he was outside and his Sire's sparkling hold was a lot bigger than his carriers so he was able to take a Vid-Pad in there sometimes if he didn't want to curl up and sleep.

Sometimes he heard other voices.

No face-plates to the voices and they sounded friendly enough. Social protocols for sparklings were as strong as Vosian flight protocols and Cobra wanted to talk to them.

His Sire's refusal to let him out except to refuel in the confines of his office began to fill him with restless energy.

"Ohey 'Wire, long time no see my mech." Cobras helm tilted as he registered the emotive glyphs. No one in his abode called his Sire Wire, which must indicate friendship if his sparkling protocols and vid-files were to be believed.

"Farjumper it's good to see you. Hows the latest upgrade to the Vetrocomplex coming along?"

Cobra imagined the mech waving his sire off like a friend would and his tiny audial horns quivered with excitement. Surely his sire would let him meet a friend?

"Oh it's the same old glitch, Metrohammers having a field day with all the paper work that he has to make for me to sign it." the friend-mech laughed happily.

Cobra tapped gently on the sparkling holds cover and his sire sent a pulse through it. Cobra frowned at the rebuttal but tapped again anyway. A firmer pulse.

_-Why sire?-_ he sent over the creator bonds.

-_Not safe-_ was the response and Cobra felt the first thread of unease through his spark at the refusal. _-Stay hidden-_

He settled uncomfortably in the now stifling sparkling hold and tried to tune out the happy mechs voice.

"...Anyway Shamble and I were wondering if you and Lightburn wanted to come over for some high-grade at some point? Feels like metro-vorns since we all caught up together."

"I'm not sure if that would be wise Farjumper… Things are complicated right now."

"Surely a mutated sparkling can't stop the two of you having a little fun? When was the last time you saw the sky? Really saw it? Mech I think you need this…"

-_Mutated sire?-_ he sent, not understanding the unfamiliar glyph and his social protocols were now demanding him to follow the conversation again.

His sire had gone rigid and the friendliness that Cobra had been basking in was gone from his field, leaving only cold, hard anger.

"Mutated?" Tripwire gritted out and Farjumper paused, wings darting backwards in surprise behind his frame at the sudden threatening cant of the larger mechs.

"Aw mech I meant nothing by it, everybot knows that your sparking didn't go so well which is why no ones seen it… I mean I only heard about it from the…"

Sparking didn't go well… the glyph must not have been a nice one. He was _mutated? _What did it mean? Cobra clicked in distress. What was wrong with him?

There was silence from outside the hold

"I think that I am done with this conversation Farjumper." His sire's field was like the broken energon pods on cleaning adverts, jagged and sharp. The swaying motion that indicated walking paused before his sire said "And for your own records, please refrain from referring to my sparkling as an it or a mutation. His designation is Cobra and _he_ will be respected.

* * *

"Carrier?"

"Yes brightspark?" Had his creators smile always been so tired looking? He had only ever noticed the love and care in his field.

"Whats wrong with me?"

Lightburns smile grew rigid and his optics widened in distress. He dropped the plating-stitch he was working on and hurried over to the sparkling, grabbed him by the scruff-bar and tucked him against his chest-plating. His carrier was so warm and soft, but the question had been bothering him all day so he resisted the urge to snuggle into it.

"Oh Cobra, there is nothing wrong with you dearspark." Lightburn attempted to nuzzle Cobras helm but the sparkling held himself away.

"What does mutated mean?" he asked, soft plating serious, an unnatural look on a sparkling.

"Where did you hear that word?" Lightburns wings flapped slightly in distress and social protocols filed the response away.

"There was a mech at sires occupation." He clicked, "I wasn't allowed to see him."

Lightburn forced his field to calm though energon bubbled in his optics in understanding. "It's not a word that you need to worry yourself on sweetspark. It was an unkind thing said by a mech that doesn't understand…"

"You and sire always say that." Cobra clicked dully, fears confirmed by the typical creator attempt to soothe away the unkindness with yet more words about how it was the other mechs fault and not his. Never his. He felt tired. "Can you let me down now carrier? I want to go recharge now." He avoided the next attempted helm nuzzles until his carrier complied and he crawled away and climbed into his berth.

* * *

Chapter 3. Hope it was enjoyed. Constructive feedback would be appreciated.


End file.
